Labial Connector

ABSTRACT

A uniquely constructed labial connector designed to enhance protection to the anterior teeth and tongue, and maximize compliance with mouth protector regulations in sports, includes a resilient material overlaying the labial and incisal surfaces of the anterior teeth of a wearer, commencing vertically at the lingual-incisal line angle and terminating at a predetermined distance below the gum line and extending horizontally canine to canine. The device is designed to protect either the upper or lower anterior teeth while optimizing clear speech, thereby minimizing the probability of injury to the teeth and other oral tissues while maximizing athlete compliance with mouth protector regulation.

BACKGROUND

The following non-provisional specification is related to provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 61/965989, Filing Date Feb. 12, 2014,Applicant, Carl A. Barnes, Sr., a US citizen, Residence; 3652 MerrittAnne Dr., Baton Rouge, La., Titled, “Mouth Protector”. The presentinvention relates to a labial connector particularly designed tooptimize protection of a wearer's anterior teeth while not interferingwith clear speech and comfort, interferences associated withconventional mouthpieces.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

Athletes such as football players, boxers and basketball playerstypically wear a mouthpiece on the upper teeth that minimizes impactassociated with blows to the jaw, mouth or chin. A conventionalmouthpiece includes a labial connector that covers the anterior teeth,front and back, is substantially u-shaped and is constructed with amoldable plastic. Typically, the device is preheated allowing a user tobite into the device to form a mold of the teeth. Such devices, however,have numerous disadvantages. The interior side walls typically contactthe palatal region of the mouth resulting in significant discomfort andgagging. In addition, the conventional mouthpiece completely encompassesboth the front and rear surfaces of the anterior teeth therebyinterfering with clear speech. Accordingly, certain athletes such asquarterbacks must speak clearly when communicating signals to teammates,must repeatedly remove the mouthpiece while speaking and reinsert itwhich is burdensome, inconvenient and exposes the wearer to germs.Furthermore, each of the above described disadvantages discourages someathletes from wearing mouthpieces thereby resulting in increasedfrequency of brain and tooth related injuries. The present inventionovercome the above described disadvantages of conventional mouthpiecesby providing a labial connector that minimizes interference with clearspeech, is comfortable to wear, minimizes damage to anterior teeth andenhances compliance to regulation requiring mouth protection.

Various mouthpieces and mouth guards exist in the prior art. Mostnotably, U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,524 issued to Barnes, Sr., relates to amethod and apparatus for minimizing damage to a wearer, The apparatusincludes a central bridge section which covers only the bottom twothirds of the anterior teeth,

Intentionally avoiding contact with incisal surfaces of the anteriorteeth when the device is worn.

The present invention is distinguishable in that its' labial connector,i.e. central bridge section, is designed purposefully to overlay andenhance protection to incisal surfaces of the incisors and canines, notavoid them, and at the same time optimizing protection to the wearer'stongue. The unique design result in maximum protection against blowsthereto, minimum discomfort to a wearer and allows the wearer to speakclearly.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to a labial connector suitable forathletes and others in need of a device capable of protecting hard andsoft tissue in the oral cavity from blows to the mouth, chin, or head.The device comprises a resilient material overlaying anterior teeth,including incisors and canines, extending horizontally from canine tocanine and vertically commencing at the lingual-incisal line angle andterminating at a predetermined distance below the gum line so as tomaximize protection to a wearer. It is therefore an object of thepresent invention to provide a labial connector that enhances protectionto the lips, anterior teeth and tongue of a wearer.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a labialconnector that will not interfere with dear speech.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a labialconnector that will enhance conformity to mouthpiece regulations insports.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a labialconnector that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome readily apparent from the following detailed description of thepreferred embodiment hen considered with the attached drawings and theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1, is a frontal view of the upper anterior teeth with the labialconnector according to the present invention mounted thereon.

FIG. 2, is a plan view of the present invention mounted on the upperanterior teeth.

FIG. 3, is a plan view of the second embodiment mounted on the upperanterior teeth.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the present invention relates to a labialconnector designed for protecting the incisal edges of either the upperor lower anterior teeth and the tongue, The upper or lower dental archtypically include anterior teeth 5, such as central and lateral incisorsand possibly canine teeth. The teeth extend into the gums at a pointthat is sometimes referred to as the gum line 4.

Each tooth includes labial, front, and lingual, back, surfaces with abiting surface there between.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the labial connector according to the presentinvention includes a mouth guard material 2, overlaying the labial andincisal surfaces of the anterior teeth 5, commencing at thelingual-incisal line angle 1, covering the biting edges of the anteriorteeth 3, exposing the lingual surfaces of the wearer's anterior teethterminating at a predetermined distance below the gum line 4, therebymaximizing protection of the wearer's dentition and allowing dearspeech, resulting In reduced probability of injury to the hard and softtissues in the oral cavity and increased compliance among athletes.Additionally, referring now to FIG. 3, a second embodiment is disclosed.The second embodiment includes mouth guard material 2, molded to conformto the labial surfaces of the anterior teeth of a wearer 5, commencingat the labial-incisal line angle 3, of the anterior teeth which isdiscernible from the lingual-incisal line angle 1, terminating at apredetermined distance below the gum line 4, to protect the wearer'santerior teeth, thereby optimizing comfort and minimizing damage,resulting in decreased probability of injury and enhanced compliancewith regulations requiring mouth protection.

The above described device is preferably constructed with a resilientconformable thermoplastic material such as ethylene vinyl acetate or anyother similar equivalent. The appliance may also be constructed withKevlar™ or any other carbon fiber material suitable for a mouthprotector. A mold is made of the wearer's upper or lower teeth so thatthe mouthpiece according to the present invention can be molded theretoand according to the details of construction enumerated above.

As easily apparent from the above description, the present inventionprovides a labial connector capable of protecting hard and soft tissueswithin the oral cavity of the wearer while exposing the teeth and otherstructures to the tongue allowing dear speech and comfort. Furthermore,the device is considerably more useful than conventional mouthprotectors, resulting in decreased probability of oral injuries andincreased compliance among athletes. Although there has been shown anddescribed the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may bemade thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims.Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by thefollowing claims.

I claim:
 1. A labial connector for securing to the anterior teeth of awearer, including incisors and canines, said labial connectorcomprising: a resilient material molded to conform to the anteriorteeth, said connector commencing at the lingual-incisal line angle fullycovering the labial surface of anterior teeth terminating at apredetermined distance below the gum line so as to maximize protectionto the wearer's oral tissues and minimize discomfort.
 2. A labialconnector for securing to the anterior teeth of a wearer, includingincisors and canines, said labial connector comprising: a resilientmaterial molded to conform to the anterior teeth, said connectorcommencing at the labial-incisal line angle fully covering the labialsurface of anterior teeth terminating at a predetermined distance belowthe gum line so as to maximize protection to the wearer's oral tissuesand maximize clear speech resulting in increased compliance amongathletes.